Paradise
by Sparkling.Pink.Headphones
Summary: One is an artist; the other is a cheerleader. One is an athletic legend; the other is a master at physics. How exactly did these four become friends? And how is everyone else liking this arrangement?
1. Reflection

Whoever decided that hormonal teenagers needed to be in the same place at the same time to "learn the basic needs of society" obviously didn't clearly think their plan through. If they had, they would've seen that it was, from the very beginning, a completely horrific idea.

At least, that's what Merida thought when she entered through the double doors for her final year at Woodsland High School. After her graduation, she wouldn't have to worry about having to cram for another test or worry about pop quizzes or timed essays. She wouldn't have to worry about seeing the faces of the people she despised and having an impulsive desire to punch them in the face. Most importantly, she wouldn't have to worry about being stuck. Once high school was over, she would have the world at her hands. Nothing can tie her down now. She just has to get through one more year of seeing the roughhousing jocks, the non-observing teachers, and the pesky cheerleaders.

Speaking of which, she spotted an extremely long ponytail of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye as she was placing books into her locker. Only this cheerleader she could tolerate, because this one was her best friend.

"Hey," she spoke, leaning against the lockers.

Merida looked at Rapunzel and saw that she was in uniform. "Good gravy, it's the first day! Do you actually have to wear your uniform?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, "It shows school spirit."

Merida turned her gaze back to the locker and resumed organizing it, "It shows your skin—more than any normal girl would show."

She opens her locker (which is conveniently placed next to her best friend's) and begins packing her books and papers inside, "Correction: more than _you_ would show." She gave her a smirk, and damn it, if she wasn't right.

Merida never wore skirts. Not since she was a little girl and her mother dressed her in clothes she considered _"fit for a lady."_ Nowadays, Merida will only leave the house if she is wearing a dress shirt, a sweater, and a comfy pair of jeans. Always jeans. Nothing more, and definitely nothing less.

Merida stuck her tongue out at her, "Whatever."

The blonde grinned at her friend and gave a small chuckle. "Anyways, Coach Parr wanted us to wear them today to recruit new freshman for the Junior Varsity squad."

The ginger closed her locker, "Why's that your job? Shouldn't you be making posters for that?"

Rapunzel gave a bit of a frown to her best friend, because _how does she not understand this by now?_ "It makes more of a statement to see a girl in uniform than to see a drawing of a girl in uniform."

Merida leaned against her locker, "Is that what she told you to say?"

"Shut up," she giggled as she gave her friend a push. "What's your first class?"

She looked down at her schedule, "Literature, with Porter. You?"

"Economics, with the other Coach Parr. Lucky me." Rapunzel finished gathering her things and closed her locker.

"Careful what you say. You could've had Black."

Rapunzel had a slight shiver go down the back of her spine at the mention of her former history teacher, Mr. Black. "That's true. But, as crazy as this sounds, I wouldn't mind Black over Parr. At least Black cares about what his students learn and doesn't pass them based on whether they're on the football team or not."

She chuckled, because she knew exactly how that feels. "Let me see your schedule." Rapunzel opened one of her folders and showed Merida her schedule, and the ginger was relieved at what she saw. "Well, we have one class together. Physics, with Thatch."

"Great, because I might go insane if I had to sit through that class alone."

The pair walked down the hallway, preparing themselves for the headache they knew they would be getting once they finished their classes today. At least they had each other to get through the day.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, a head of white hair entered through the metal double doors and strode in there like he owned the place.

Well, he must have, because the minute he walked in, all eyes turned to him. He would say there was a roaring crowd, but that would be an exaggeration (maybe only a few "whoops" and some giggling from the girls).

He strolled, winking at every girl he passed by, and high-fiving the guys he knew. But there's something you should know about this kid: he has a not-so-perfect reputation. Not only was this kid popular, he was a troublemaker with a capital "T." They called him the King of Fun, because no one could out-prank this guy.

He knew this was his year. There were no rules, no hoops to jump through. It was smooth sailing for this senior. Just pass his classes, get a scholarship for his athletics, and he was set. He'll have to think of a really good prank for the end of the year, so he could go out with a bang!

He passed by the bulletin board and saw an old poster for the track and field team. A congratulations flyer for the team, and most importantly, for Jack Frost (a.k.a. _Yours Truly_). He smirked to himself and tore the paper off the board. _A souvenir for me. Maybe I'll send it in to one of my schools._

He continued down the hallway, knowing the route to his locker like the back of his hand. He arrived, only to find the hallway occupied by a few men.

One was a skinny, long-faced boy that he didn't know, being held against a locker by his blazer. The other two, clad in letterman's jackets, he immediately recognized. Flynn Rider, the quarterback of the football team, and Hercules Zeus, his blind side.

Now, Jack knew he was an athlete just like them (he was even wearing the same jacket), but he didn't like these guys one bit. He knew exactly what those two were doing: using their status to intimidate others. These guys weren't true athletes; they were bullies. Jack didn't like bullies, especially these two.

He saw them pushing the frail boy into the locker repeatedly, taking his glasses and making fun of them. The skinny one tried to use his backpack as a shield, but to no avail. The football jerks just snatched it out of his hands and threw it to the ground. Hercules picked him up by the collar and pinned him against the lockers.

Jack finally had enough and pounded his fist onto the locker next to his. "Hey! Why don't you take your hands off of him and leave him alone?"

The pair paused and turned to see the snow-haired child, immediately chuckling and laughing.

Flynn was the closest to him. He sidled next to him and smiled in Jack's face, "Why don't you mind your own business, Frost?"

"You have him against my locker, so it is my business," he stepped toward Flynn and looked him dead in the eye, "now put him down and walk away."

Flynn squared himself and mirrored Jack, "I'm not. What 'cha gonna do about it?" Hercules laughed and lifted the boy up. The poor kid held onto Hercules' wrists for dear life.

Jack placed his tongue in his cheek, thoroughly frustrated with these two. He figured, if he can't speak to them civil, he'll have to hit them at their weakest point: their reputation.

He smirked, "Well, fine. But I should warn you," he turned his focus down the hallway, "the principal's down the hall and she's heading this way. I wouldn't want you to get suspended before the first game." He gave them a sly smile, watching the two slowly considering their actions.

Flynn turned to Hercules, "Put him down. We don't want to risk anything."

Hercules placed the boy back on the ground, and got into his face, "You got lucky this time, nerd." He slammed the locker, making the boy jump, and walked away with Hercules right behind him.

The boy slumped back onto the locker and sighed, relieved that it was over.

Jack tapped his shoulder, making the boy jump again. "Woah, sorry about that," Jack replied, "I just…you're still in front of my locker."

The brunet mumbled an apology and shuffled over a few lockers, turning to open it.

Jack kept his gaze on the boy, concerned, "You okay?"

The brunet looked over at Jack and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "First day back and they're already shoving me against the lockers…I'm peachy."

Jack opened his locker and unloaded the books he carried in his bag. "Hey, don't worry about those jerks. They'll get theirs in the end."

The boy mumbled, "Just wish their end would be sooner than later."

The athlete gave a chuckle, "Don't say that too loud. People might think you're homicidal."

"Even if I was, I wouldn't be able to do anything." The brunet shrugged off the dark brown blazer he wore and folded it neatly, "They'd drag me by the back of my blazer before I could even threaten them with anything."

Jack raised his brow and the corners of his mouth twitched, wanting to break into a smile. "Not the kind of conversation I thought I'd have on my first day, but I'll roll with it." He closed his locker and turned to the boy, offering his hand, "I'm Jack, by the way."

"MVP of the soccer team. And the track team." He closed his locker as well and turned to face him. "Your face and your white hair are always plastered against these walls. Hard to not know who you are."

"And yet, I don't know you."

The boy saw the offered hand and shook it, "Hiccup. Hiccup Haddock."

That made Jack laugh louder than he wanted to admit, "Wait, wait…your actual name is Hiccup?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, make fun. I've heard it all before."

Jack waved his hands in front of him, still smiling, "I'm sorry. I promise, I'm not making fun—"

"Sure you were. It's in your nature."

That comment made Jack stop immediately. He looked up at him and gave a questioning face, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's what popular kids do. They find the odd things about people and laugh at them for it." Before Jack could even respond, Hiccup interrupted his thought, "Is it a part of some type of initiation process you guys have?"

"I promise you, I am not like those guys." Jack did not want to be associated with those troublemakers at all. Sure, he knew he was mischievous, he could admit that. But he was not a bully, and he certainly didn't laugh at people's hardships (he was a walking target, once upon a time).

"No, but…you have to admit that you're not like the rest of us, right?" The bell rang out through the hallways, and the herd of people at their lockers began to rush to their next classes. "I'll see you around." Hiccup joined the sea of teenagers and walked away, leaving Jack to ponder at his words.

Jack knew he wasn't intimidating but...did people place him on such a high level that they wouldn't even take him seriously as a human being?


	2. First Impressions

_(A/N: Oh my gosh, I can't believe how many of you guys liked my story! Thank you so much! Your reviews and your favorites are much appreciated. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter.)_

Jack found his way to his first class: Literature, with Porter. He walked in somewhat deflated. His mind was still wrapping around Hiccup's words. How could he have not seen that before? I mean, truthfully, he knew people didn't take him seriously because he was always considered the King of Fun, but he never wanted people to stereotype him into such a horrific category as a bully.

He managed to get his favorite spot in class: the back corner on the right side of the class. As he sat down, he realized that something must be done about this. _I won't set myself up to look like something that I'm not,_ he said to himself, _I gotta do something that makes me look like them._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of vermillion. He looked up to see a giant mane of hair sit in the front, two rows over. He's seen her before, roaming the halls with her cheerleader friend. Even if she was by herself, you could see her a mile away with her bright hair. Though he would never admit this if you asked him, Jack was slightly staring at the back of her head.

He saw the teacher rise from her desk in the corner and began writing on the whiteboard. She took a stack of papers from her desk and began passing them to the students in the front row.

"Welcome everyone to my Literature class," she started, "I am Miss Porter, as you all know. What I'm handing to you is the syllabus for this school year. It includes the rules for my class, my grading criteria, and a tentative calendar with all homework and project due dates. Please note that these dates can be changed at any point in time—"

She stood in front of the class and began to dive in to her introductory lecture. Seeing as how he had Miss Porter the year before, he knew how this would go: go over the syllabus, start an assignment, and read the first chapter of our textbook. While she continued on, Jack gradually tuned her out. He began busying himself by drawing swirls and stick figures on his syllabus. It wasn't like he was going to miss any information that he couldn't find in there.

After a few long minutes of drawing a figure of a puppy chasing a frisbee, he saw out of the corner of his eye a hand raise. He looked up and saw that Porter was writing a few important things on the board and did not pay attention to the hand raised.

"Excuse me, Miss Porter?" the girl asked, wiggling her fingers. Jack knew her: Aurora Rose. She has the longest neck on the entire cheerleading squad (they nicknamed her "Swan Lake" because of it). She's been known to cause trouble. But then again, most of the cheerleaders he's met tend to do that.

Porter turned around and spotted the blonde girl in her cheerleading uniform, "Yes, Miss Rose?"

He smile was sly, "I would just love to see your handwriting and the notes you've written on the board, but I'm afraid I can't. There's a big, giant, red bush in my way." She stared directly at the redhead. The girls around her giggled, and there were some chuckles heard from around the room.

The girl turned in her seat and glared at her, a spark in her eye. "It's called: moving to another seat."

"It's called: a comb. You should use it once in a while." Her sarcastic comment earned her some response from the classroom.

Porter raised her voice, "Okay, that's enough, both of you. I don't want to send you to detention the first day of school, so you both get a warning. I won't be using those again, understand?" The ginger nodded, and the cheerleader mumbled. "Thank you. Is there anyone else here that has a problem with Miss DunBroch sitting in the front of the class?"

There was silence for a moment, until a voice beside the ginger spoke up. A girl with tan skin and wavy, dark brown hair. "…Actually, I'm having a hard time, seeing, too...I'm sorry, Merida. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

Merida turned towards her and smiled, "It's fine, Esmerelda."

Porter sighed, "I'm sorry, Miss DunBroch. I'm going to have to ask you to move. Is anyone willing to trade seats with her?"

The girl sitting next to Jack, a pale girl with jet black hair in her face raised her hand, "I will." She began gathering her things and traded seats with Merida.

"Thank you, Miss Parr," she smiled as two girls exchanged seats. She picked up her dry-erase marker, "Now, where was I?"

She restarted her lecture, acting as if nothing had happened. Jack took a peek sideways to see his new seat-neighbor. _Well, if I'm going to change my reputation, I guess I'll start with her._

The class continued on. There were a few more stick figures on Jack's paper, and his mind began wandering towards the extracurricular that he would have at the end of school today. _Wonder who's trying out this year?, _he asked himself as he scanned the rooms, _probably not anyone in here._

Miss Porter stood before the classroom, writing the last bits of information for the day's assignment, "Before I let you all dive into our classwork today, I want to bring up a topic that is crucial to this class." Jack looked up, interested in her words again. "During the course of this school year, you will be paired with two different partners."

Immediately, Jack perked up. A partner? In a Literature class? Maybe this was a way to show off his fun and friendly side. But first, he needed to know if his partner was going to be friendly as well.

"The two of you will be working together on class assignments, reading assignments, projects, and any other miscellaneous things that will require more than yourself. And, to make this easier to remember, your first partner is going to be sitting right next to you." She pointed to the back wall, "If you look behind you, you will see that each row is labeled with a number. All students sitting in odd numbered rows will be partnered with the person to their right. Which means that all students in even numbered rows will be partnered with the person on their left."

Jack looked up and saw the bold number '6' above his seat. He knew what this meant.

He'd be working with his ginger acquaintance.

"I want you to take a few minutes right now and introduce yourself to your new partners." she sat behind her desk, "Please take the time right now and get to know them, because you'll be working with these people for the next four months until I reassign you new partners in the spring. You have five minutes to talk with them, and then we'll get started on going over the class assignment. Have fun!"

_Okay, Jack; just talk casual with the girl._ Jack turned himself so that he was facing his newfound partner, ready to turn his charm on. But when he looked over, he saw nothing but irritation in her eyes. Still, he put a smile on his face. _Kill them with kindness, as dad always says._

"So, you're my partner for this semester—" but before he could finish his sentence, the redhead interrupted him.

"Let's just get this over with. I know you probably have better things to do than to talk to me."

He wanted to laugh at that because (and he will never admit this, but) he was intrigued with her accent—Irish? Scottish? Probably Scottish—and wanted nothing more than to listen to her voice. Okay, Jack was pretty sure he was going fanatic for this girl that he's never met before in his life, but he couldn't help it. She just seemed interestingly adorable to him.

Jack tilted his head and smirked, "And what if I don't?"

The girl rolled her eyes, annoyed, "Yeah, right."

"I'm not going to make fun of you. It's actually nice to know that I'm not the only one with noticeable hair." He smiled, because it was true. All the students could spot the two out of a crowd with no problem.

The girl glanced over at him, and Jack was hoping for trust in her eyes, but she didn't buy any of his words.

"I know your kind."

Now, Jack was thoroughly confused. "My kind?"

"You athletes are all the same," she spat, "You think you can charm your way out of things and not have to do any work. Well, I'm not buying it. I'm not doing any of you work for you."

Wow, this girl had some guts, coming at him like that.

Jack suddenly found himself annoyed, but his smile didn't falter. He chuckled, "Okay, listen princess. I don't know who you think I am, but I didn't ask for you to work for me. I don't scheme people into doing things for me."

She looked directly at him, "I'm sure the rest of your sports friends think the same way."

Suddenly, something inside of Jack had snapped and he began to rant, "I don't understand why there are so many people at this school that I've never met, and yet they're so quick to make assumptions about me. I haven't done anything to you, so why are you judging me?" At that, the girl's eyebrows were raised high in shock. "I'm serious. Did I do something to you that I don't remember? I've never tried to be mean to anyone, so if I did—"

"Oh, save your innocent shtick, Mr. Frost." She cut him off again.

"Wow, two people in one day that know my name and I don't know theirs."

She brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, "That's because you're too busy playing your little game of kicking balls and running the school to pay attention to the rest of us."

Now, Jack was completely irritated; his smile was completely gone at this point. "It's funny that you just assume I run the school because I'm an athlete."

"Well don't you?" she said that with so much bite that Jack couldn't help but scoff at her arrogance.

"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?"

"She also told me to wash my face every morning because the girls with the prettiest skin always get asked first to prom."

"Oh, that's sweet. You think I'm pretty?" He laid the side of his head in his hand, looking dreamily at her.

The fire in her eyes burned bright, as she looked him directly in the eye, "Look, I'm just calling you out for what you are. Better to be upfront about it now than to deal with you later."

He stared right back at her, "But you don't_ know_ what I am, because you don't know me."

She glanced down at his jacket and a look of disgust crept up on her facial features, "I know enough."

Jack felt something twist in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't believe that he was being profiled by a stranger just because of the clothes he wore. For the first time in his life, Jack felt ashamed to be sporting something that he was proud to have. He thought it was an expression of school spirit, but he soon realized it was just a giant target for people to be prejudice towards him.

Jack yanked at his letterman's jacket, "You think just because I wear this jacket, I can do whatever I want?" He shrugged it off of his shoulders and tugged at the sleeves, holding the material in his hands. He carefully folded it and placed the jacket on her desk, staring right at her. She seemed surprised at his actions.

He leaned forward, getting in her face, "You can take this jacket away from me right now, and I'd be the same as you, princess. I have to work just as hard for grades as you do. Here's something you probably don't know: if I don't keep them up, I won't get to play on the soccer team this year, or track, and those are two things that I love to do." He grabbed the jacket and held it in his hands, "I don't get good grades because I have this. I get them because I work hard for them. We're both students here, learning the same thing. I'm no better than you, and you certainly are no better than me."

He left her speechless, but not in the way he wanted to. _So much for making a good impression,_ he thought to himself, but he felt good about getting that out of his system. Still, he'll have to do something about the tension between them now.

Miss Porter, at that very moment, decided to stand back up in front of the class. "All right class, your five minutes is up. Let's get back to work."

He decided instead to add more kindle to the fire, as he redrew a smirk on his face, "Oh, and remember to have fun. You're going to be working with me for a little while."

* * *

Merida has never questioned herself before, but that confrontation with Jack Frost made her think twice about taking Literature so early in the morning. _Maybe I can switch mine to fifth period with Rapunzel,_ she thought to herself.

Speaking of whom, she spotted her blonde friend sitting directly in the middle of the classroom as she made her way into Physics class. She dumped her books onto the desk next to hers and plopped herself into the seat.

Rapunzel seemed concerned, "Hey. You okay?"

Merida blew a stray curl out of her face and grumbled, "I met him."

"Who?" she asked, leaning in.

Merida turned to face her best friend, "Your lovely snow-haired heartthrob."

Rapunzel's eyes went wide, and she grabbed her friend's shoulder, shaking her. "You met Jack Frost?"

"Yep." Her tone was not amused.

Rapunzel squealed and shook her some more, "And?"

"He's an ass."

Rapunzel let go, gasping. "Oh, no. That can't be true."

"He insulted me and tried to be sweet to me after he did it. I don't understand how people like him are allowed to be popular." Merida opened her notebook to an empty page and dated her paper.

Rapunzel pulled out her folder and textbook from her messenger bag, "Maybe he'll be nicer tomorrow."

"He better be, or he's in for a knuckle sandwich." As if right on cue, Thatch began his lecture for the class.

* * *

Second period could not go by any faster for Jack. He spent the entire time ignoring his teacher, Professor Black, and doting on his encounter with the little redheaded girl. He was trying so hard to have fun on his first day, because being serious just wasn't his style. He was used to being the one in class cracking jokes and causing pranks. But somehow, Hiccup's words got to him desperately. None of it made sense to him. How could he stop being something he's not intentionally being? Was that even possible?

How can you change an entire student body's mind in one year when they've already labeled you for so long?

He took his twenty minute break to change his books for the next two classes. As he approached his locker, he saw a familiar dark brown head of hair at his own locker, placing a book inside.

He walked over to him and blurted out, "What can I do to show that I'm not a jerk?"

Hiccup sharply turned his head to Jack, "Hello…again."

Jack ignored his greeting and started rambling, "I'm serious. I don't want to leave this place with people thinking I'm a horrible person. Because I'm not. I'm a good guy. Or, at least, I haven't done anything to make people think I'm a bad guy."

Hiccup closed his locker and faced Jack, "Look, the fact that you took up a sport already put a label on your back." He opened his backpack and placed some books inside, "No matter how hard you try, you're not going to completely erase the image of the jock, so don't try so hard for people to start believing in you now—"

"Listen, Hiccup." He said, grabbing the tiny boy's shoulders gently, "I'm not a bully. I don't want anyone to even think for a second that I would hurt them. I'm a person just like you. Please, you got to believe in me, just a little bit."

This was the first time Hiccup saw Jack so…well, so desperate. He almost felt bad for him.

He sighed, "Even if you could change one person's mind about you, I can't tell you how to do it. There's no written formula for how to make other people think you're a good person. Just…start showing it." He flung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away, leaving Jack to figure that dilemma out on his own.


	3. Judgment

_(A/N: So, this chapter is a bit overdue. Sorry about that. College work and a bit of procrastination got the best of me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews and such. They make my day brighter! :) Have fun!)_

It felt like the day would never end. It was only third period and Rapunzel had wanted a nap, a burger, and another outfit to change into because the cheerleading skirt kept riding up and showing her spanks. She walked into Pre-Calculus with her shoulders slumped. _Can this day somehow get better, please?_

And it did, because she saw a familiar head of white sitting in the back of the classroom.

Rapunzel, the calm and composed person that she is, ran right back outside and nearly squeaked in excitement. _Oh my lanta,_ she thought, _THE Jack Frost is in my class! _She internally freaked out, jumping up and down like a mad man. The students passing by her were giving her strange looks. Noticing their stares, she stopped jumping, took a deep breath and fixed her hair. _Okay, Rapunzel, just stay cool and act like you have some sense. Remember, he wasn't nice to Merida earlier. You should check him on that._

She walked back inside, her bag hitched higher on her shoulder. Jack sat with his best friend Tony Rydinger, another member of the soccer team. She scanned the room for an empty spot. Conveniently, she found an empty seat right next to Jack. She made her way over and dumped her bag on the floor. Jack didn't even notice her sliding into the spot next to him. Her blonde hair whipped around as she turned to face him.

"Excuse me. I have a bone to pick with you." She smiled when she caught both boys' attention. Tony pointed to himself questioningly, and Rapunzel shook his head.

"Oh...okay." Jack twisted in his seat and smirked at her, "Just don't work yourself up too much. I wouldn't want to see a frown on such a pretty face."

Her amused smile was completely wiped off of her face. _Well, that was unexpected...Wait, did Jack Frost just compliment me?_ Caught off-guard, Rapunzel found herself between a laugh and a squeal. She ducked her face, feeling a blush coming on, and she covered her face with her hand. "You're just saying that," she said through her giggling.

"No, I mean it. I don't think I could ever handle it if your face looked anything other than lovely." Jack's well-known sly smile spread onto his face.

"Oh, well, that's swee—" she heard Tony let out a guffaw and immediately understood what was he was doing. "Hey, stop it. You're distracting me and I'm trying to tell you something important."

Jack placed the side of his head in his hand and stared at her, "Blondie, you're distracting me with those bright green eyes of yours. They're sparkling so much, I'm getting lost in them." Rapunzel felt her face get hot again, but this time she took a moment to let her brain calm down from the overload of sweet-talk and composed herself.

"I know what you're trying to do." She leaned towards him, her voice to a soft hush. "Every guy on the football team has pulled that one. You think you can just throw me off by showering me with compliments?"

Jack mirrored her and leaned in as well. "Is it working?" he rasped out.

Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and she swore her brain actually went dead for a moment. "…Yes, but that's not the point." She brushed her hair back behind her ear and continued to stare him down, "You can't run away from this by using your magic words."

Tony side-eyed Jack, "don't get yourself into any trouble with the ladies, Frost."

Frost rolled his eyes at his friend and forcibly twisted him back to the front of the class. He turned back to Rapunzel and smiled, "Fine then. What did you want to talk about?"

Rapunzel, feeling successful, smiled to herself. "You were rude to my friend this morning and you need to apologize."

Jack stared at her for a moment before a look of recognition showered over him, "Now I remember who you are. You're friends with that redhead—Marilyn? Maribel?"

"Merida," she corrected.

"Her. She's one giant ball of sass."

She held her laughter as best as she could because, _yeah, Merida was definitely pretty sassy,_ but she couldn't agree with Frost while trying to stick up for her best friend. "She told me what you did to her." She crossed her arms and tried to put on a judgmental look (but how can you be judgmental to such a cutie like Jack Frost?), "If you ever want to get on my good side, you're going to have to do more than shower me with compliments."

The white-haired boy chuckled and turned his entire body towards her, "Look, blondie, I would love to be on your good side," he started, "but you can't believe everything you hear. Your friend isn't the saint she says she is, and for you to just assume that I was the one rude to her...well, that isn't a good way to get on _my_ good side."

She gasped. How could he say something like that about her best friend? And how dare he threaten her with her own argument? "You're not helping yourself here. You know that, right?"

He sighed, "Look, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but...do you always believe everything she says?"

Rapunzel furrowed her brows. Of course she did. Merida was her best friend. "Well, who else am I supposed to believe?" she asked him.

"Believe in the person that's right." His words seemed so simple, but Rapunzel knew that was easier said than done.

She looked at him with a raised brow, "And who exactly is right?"

He smirked, "Well, I'm certainly not wrong."

Rapunzel, feeling a bit overwhelmed, brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and reached for her bag, finding something to busy herself with. "Wow, handsome _and_ arrogant. That's attractive." Her deadpan made Jack chuckle.

He lifted his hands up in surrender, "Okay, I'm sorry. That was kind of an obnoxious thing to say."

She looked back at him, "Kind of?"

"Look," he opened his bag as well and took out a notebook and pen, "the point is: you can't just assume that everything Meredith says is golden."

"Merida."

"Sorry—Merida. Whatever she told you was probably her basing my entire life on her first impression of me." He turned his body back forward, "There are two sides to every story, you know. Things aren't always what they appear to be."

The blonde stared at him for a moment, measuring his words. And, damn it, if he wasn't right. "So, you aren't an ass? How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Maybe you should get to know me." He smiled at her, the first genuine smile he's shown her since she walked in. "Sorry, I don't think you told me your name."

She sat up straight and the corners of her mouth turned upward. "Rapunzel. Nice to meet you, Jack."

* * *

The brunet hitched his backpack higher up onto his tense shoulders. Today seemed to be dragging on and more things seem to have happened today than in the entirety of his previous school year. Honestly, he wished it were sixth period already so he could discuss engineering related topics with his fellow interested peers. He really wanted to talk with Professor Lockwood about the idea of building an airborne robot for the regional Robot Rumble competition.

He sidestepped into Economics and scanned for a spot that would keep him away from the people he wished to stay away from and also be a good learning space.

"Hiccup?"

He knew that voice. He could spot that Scottish accent anywhere. He sighed to himself. _Great, just what I needed: somebody to babysit me._

Hiccup turned towards the voice. She wasn't very far away. In fact, she had a spot two seats away from the door. "Merida."

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Hiccup planted his backpack on the desk in front of hers, "Finishing high school?"

Merida gave him a strange expression, "Didn't you tell me you were transferring to the high school on the other side of town?"

He looked away and murmured, "I thought about it." He sighed, finally deciding to sit in the seat, "In the end, it just didn't seem right."

He could feel the concern coming from Merida. _Exactly what I don't want right now._ He saw her nod and turned around in his seat. Suddenly, guilt crept into the pit of his stomach. He feels bad for not talking to her. But he came to his senses and realized that there was a reason he didn't tell people personal things anymore.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her, surprised. "Listen," she started, "...if there's something you ever need to talk about, you can come to me."

He stared at her for a moment, considering her words. He probably would never take the offer, but he liked the fact that she cared so much. A smile appeared on his face, "I know. Thanks, Merida."

She smiled as well, but it was gone in an instant as she gave another request, "Be careful, okay?"

Hiccup's smile faltered as well. _Easier said than done._ "I'll try."

* * *

Standing at '5 feet, 2 inches,' Rapunzel knew that she wasn't the tallest girl in school. However, there were only two other people on campus that beat her as the shortest person. One was the principal, who stood at a whopping '4 feet, 10 inches.' The other was the cheer captain, Tinker Bell.

No one on campus could beat Tinker's height of an even 5 feet. Some students on campus nicknamed her Pixie because of her tiny body, her agility, and her feisty personality. As far as Rapunzel was concerned, they were right. Tinker could be the definition of a reincarnated pixie, what with the way that she moves and gets to places, swerving through crowds of people and moving as quickly as she can. And if it wasn't for the fact that she manipulated just about everybody into doing what she wanted, Rapunzel would've considered her a person to look up to. But Tinker was just as evil as Regina George (hell, they might have based the character on Tinker).

Yes, no one could top Little Miss Petite when it came to being persuasive. She was a force that no one should ever cross paths with. Rapunzel, along with a few of her cheerleading buddies, is convinced that her devious powers are the only reason why she is the most popular girl in high school. They didn't see anything too special about her except for the fact that she had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and hips that could give Shakira a run for her money.

When Rapunzel joined the squad last year, the girls expected her to be the next Tinker. But, with a little help from her friends, she luckily didn't fall into her trap. And that didn't sit very well with Tinker. Not at all.

It was the last period of the day. Finally, Rapunzel could have this meeting and finish her first day of school without any added stress. She made her way over to the group of cheerleaders on the grassy field. Well, the ones that talked to her civilly, anyways. "Hey girls!" she shouted.

The girls all greeted her, but no one greeted her more than her cheerleader confidante Jasmine. Her head of jet-black hair made a beeline to her and she wrapped her arms around Rapunzel, giving her one of the biggest hugs the blonde had received all day. "Rapunzel! Oh, I missed you so much," she exclaimed.

Rapunzel giggled as hug her back just as big. "How was your trip with the family to Saudi Arabia?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, "Long, dry, and way too hot. I don't even know how I survived."

The pair began their long stream of catch-up, Jasmine telling Rapunzel about her adventures traveling to the East, and Rapunzel talking about the many activities she engaged at home. They were so deep in their conversation that they hadn't seen the tiny pair of feet that approached them, along with a trio of other girls clad in cheerleading uniforms. The girl cleared her throat, making sure that Rapunzel and Jasmine acknowledged her existence. She stood with a puff of pixie blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail, lips pink as bubble gum, and skin tanned to perfection. She put on a smile that Rapunzel could see right through, and her wide hips were cocked to one side.

"Hello, girls," she purred.

Rapunzel, being the polite person that she was raised to be, greeted her with a genuine smile. "Hi, Tinker." Despite her doubts about the petite girl, Rapunzel was never rude to her fellow peers. Jasmine, on the other hand, had her conflict with the pixie and did not even attempt to look her in the eye.

Tinker pretended that Rapunzel had never spoken. Her stare was directed toward the dark-haired girl. "I'm glad to see both of you are back," she claimed with no conviction to back her up. "Jasmine, I believe congratulations are in order for your promotion into the 2nd Captain position." The girls behind her clapped, as if cued to do so.

Jasmine looked up at the ladies and showed all of her teeth with her smile. "Thank you."

Rapunzel knew that smile. That was the smile Jasmine always put on whenever she wanted to kick somebody's ass. And it was well deserved for this group of girls, especially Tinker. Let's just say, Tinker messed with the wrong girl. It resulted in Jasmine nearly getting kicked off the team.

Tinker's smiled broadened as well, "You've worked really hard for this, so congratulations." She glanced over at Rapunzel, with a tiny squint of her eyes. Rapunzel suddenly felt nervous, but no one else seemed to be reacting the way she was, so she let it slide. Tinker blinked and looked back at Jasmine, "Coach Parr should be here soon, so we'll start the meeting in about 15 minutes. Great job, girls." She walked away, as if nothing happened. Rapunzel took a deep breath, attempting to steady the fast pace her heart was beating.

Jasmine waited until the pixie blonde was out of earshot and looked at Rapunzel. "You okay?"

Rapunzel, still trying to calm herself, asked her in a whisper, "Am I crazy, or did she give me the death stare?"

Jasmine smiled and side-glanced the pixie, who was tens of feet away. "Don't worry about her, Rapunzel. She's been trying to bully us into being one of her followers ever since we joined the team, and it's not going to work." She turned the blonde to face her, keeping a firm grip on the tops of her shoulders. "You don't need her telling you how to act or what to do with your life. If she doesn't like it, then she'll just have to deal with it until we graduate."

Rapunzel sighed and smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry; I'm doubting myself again."

Jasmine gave her a reassuring smile, "You shouldn't. You're a great person, Rapunzel." Rapunzel's smile widened and she hugged Jasmine. They broke apart just in time, as Jasmine saw a tall woman with a short bob cut approach the team. "Coach Parr's here. Guess that's our cue to join the others."

* * *

The walk from school to Merida's house wasn't a long one. In fact, it was merely a few long blocks away. In a perfect world, Rapunzel could use this time to take a few quiet, peaceful moments to herself and collect her thoughts about today.

But she didn't live in a perfect world, because her best friend took this time to blabber.

She couldn't hear her own thoughts. Her lovely motor mouth of a best friend continued to rant about Jack Frost and how he was imperfect in every way with her standards of living. She had to put a stop to this immediately.

"I still can't believe I'm going to have to deal with that prick for the entire semester," she said for probably the tenth time since the pair began walking home.

Rapunzel figured now would be the best time to chime in her thoughts, "You know...he's not that bad." She flinched because she saw her best friend's look of disbelief and knew exactly where this was heading.

"Oh, good grief," Merida mumbled. He sighed and composed herself, "I know you have a crush on Jack, Rapunzel, but can you take your lovey-dovey goggles off for one second and see the real him? He's not the prince that you think he is." You can say Rapunzel was definitely getting frustrated at this point.

"I do not have lovey-dovey goggles!" she practically shouted. She grunted in frustration and drug her hands over her face. "I actually met him myself," she blurted out. Why she said that, she'll never know. But at least she can make a case for him.

Merida raised an eyebrow, questioning her. "Today?"

"Yes. And he's actually really sweet." But before she could continue, she heard a groan come from her best friend's mouth.

"Oh, good gravy," she said, rolling her eyes.

Rapunzel had enough. She stopped walking and turned to face Merida. "You know, you shouldn't judge people on first impressions. We wouldn't be friends if you kept doing that."

Merida walked around her, "We met when we were 6." She didn't look back, knowing that Rapunzel would catch up with her, "A good first impression to me then was whether you gave me a lollipop or not. And you didn't give me a lollipop, that's for sure."

Rapunzel grabbed Merida's shoulder, forcing her to stop. "I'm just saying, maybe you should give Jack a chance and not pigeon-hole him. You don't know who he is."

Merida furrowed her brow. _Why is she sticking up so much for this prick? She's never questioned my complaints before._ "He thinks he runs the school. I know enough about him to stay away from people like him."

"Yeah—'people like him.' But do you know one personal thing about Jack Frost?" She looked Merida straight in the eye and saw the faint realization in her friend's eyes. Of course she didn't know anything about him.

Needless to say, Merida masked her true feelings and smirked at her friend. "Only the things you tell me. Or are those just the things you obsess over?"

Rapunzel dropped her jaw and shoved Merida playfully. "I do not obsess over him!" She stalked off, Merida hot on her heels.

The ginger chuckled, "That's a lie." She got a good swatting from Rapunzel's hair as she tossed it to purposely hit her in the face. Rapunzel laughed as her friend chased her down the street to the front porch of the house of DunBroch.


	4. Defense

_(A/N: first of all, let me just apologize right off the cuff for disappearing and leaving you all on a four month hiatus without any explanation whatsoever. I could give you a list of reasons why I was gone, but it doesn't matter now. Anyways, thank you all for supporting my story regardless. I couldn't be happier with the dozens of people that have favorited and left reviews for this fic. I love you all! Enjoy this chapter!)_

Enduring the spoken and physical antics of the large bullies in high school wasn't anything new for Hiccup. He's dealt with those types of kids for several years. He's actually gotten more verbal abuse from his family than he has from them. But that's not what bothers him about these burly troublemakers. They pick on him without fail every single day. He can handle being called names and feeling the cold metal press against his back whenever they push him into the lockers. He just wishes that they could give him a break and recover. But they don't. They continue to taunt him constantly, as if they kept a personal schedule to specifically mess with him on a nonstop basis.

Lunchtime was no exception. In fact, that was their ideal time to antagonize him. The boys would throw food at the back of his head, earning extra points if they could tangle their ammo into his already messy hair. The bullies would, on occasion, take his own food and sabotage the one and only meal he had that day. Well, only until he got home and his father brought home fresh cooked meat from the butcher shop.

Hiccup saw the familiar jackets out of the corner of his eye. He knew it was coming sooner or later today. He prepared himself, steeling his emotions for the oncoming verbal and physical abuse they were going to serve him. Today's meet and greet with the jocks had a slight change of plans, something Hiccup didn't see coming at all.

He had someone defend him this time.

The pair of ginger twins, football players, passed by his table with their trays full of cafeteria food. They took the pieces of his lunch without as much as a word toward him, including his sandwich and his favorite bag of potato chips. They left without another word. Hiccup knew what was next. They would start throwing food at the back of his head. A few minutes later, he felt the first piece hit his head. It felt like they tossed a piece of broccoli. Just what he needed to smell like.

After about the third time he felt a piece of broccoli hit the back of his head, he heard something. A voice suddenly came from behind him. "Hey! Knock it off, you two!"

He turned in his chair, as did the two football players, to reveal a tiny cheerleader, with long blonde hair and chartreuse eyes the size of saucers, standing with her arms crossed defensively. One of the twins chuckled and stood up, unafraid of the girl.

"Chill out, Rapunzel. We aren't hurting him."

Rapunzel moseyed up to the ginger, unafraid of him in the least, "You're bothering him. It's lunch time. Don't you have better things to do, like eat your lunch?"

He stands level with her, cueing the ginger's twin to stand up as well. "Don't tell me what to do. I can do whatever I want."

Hiccup, still frozen in place, stared at the scene that unfolded in front of him. He didn't know what to do. This has never happened before, especially if it had to deal with him. He wanted to do something, but his feet felt like lead, and his mouth felt too dry to say anything. He continued to stare at the pair, hoping that the brothers would not fight the tiny blonde girl, in the middle of the cafeteria no less. _Come on, Hiccup, say something. Don't let these two guys gang up on a girl._

"Hey, fellas!" a voice called behind him. Appearing out of nowhere was the famous Flynn Rider. Hiccup, although not happy to see him, was relieved that someone else was here to break up the fight he started. Flynn placed both of his hands on the twins' shoulders. "The lady's right. It's lunch time." He looked at Rapunzel and gave her a wink. "Let's go back to our table."

The gingers looked at each other, and then surrendered to the situation. The brothers immediately sent a glare towards Hiccup. He was certain that if they stared any harder at him, they could've shot daggers out of their eyes right through the front of his cranium. He watched the pair, along with Rider, walk away and sit at a table opposite of him and the blonde that defended him. He collapsed back into his seat, distraught at his actions. Why couldn't he do anything? Why was he so afraid to stand up for others, let alone himself? He had never felt more pathetic than he did right in this moment.

"Are you okay?" he heard a female voice say. He looked up and saw the blonde girl standing next to him.

"I'm fine," he mumbled, "just...go back to your table." He felt like he should ask about her well-being, but Hiccup didn't want anyone else to see the misery that he was certain appeared on his face. He hid his face from her, hoping that she would walk away.

Rapunzel saw the mess they made of his lunch space and desperately wanted to help him. "I can get you an apple or something. You don't have anything on your tray—"

"Please, just...go." He said without looking up.

He felt horrible, shutting her out like that, but he didn't want to cause any more trouble. It's bad enough that he wasn't able to help her; he couldn't let a _cheerleader_ be his savior. He simply watched her feet slowly turn away and head back to her table. He sighed with regret.

* * *

_Rapunzel's heart sank at the rejection. She thought he would want her help. Perhaps she only butted into a situation that wasn't hers to deal with in the first place. She only wanted to be a good person and help someone in need. But maybe he had the situation under control, and she messed it up. Maybe she just assumed that helping him would do something good. _Guess I was wrong...

"Miss Gothel?"

Merida snapped her fingers in front of the blonde, "Earth to Rapunzel."

"Huh?" she looked at her surroundings and realized...she was still in Physics class with Merida. The teacher, Mr. Thatch, stared at her with a raised eyebrow. The class seemed to follow suit. An embarrassed flush appeared on her face. "Did you ask me a question, sir?"

"I did, but only to make sure you were paying attention. Stay alert in my class, Miss Gothel."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to space out." As he continued the lecture, Rapunzel distracted herself again with something more important than the topic of physics: the time. The clock hanging on the wall stared at her with its giant black numbers. Five minutes before class ends. She doesn't even remember how she even got to class. Rapunzel sighs, reprimanding herself for losing track of time.

A piece of paper is placed on Rapunzel's desk. She spots it and opens it up. _Are you okay?_ is written in familiar handwriting.

Rapunzel gives a downcast look, holding back what is really on her mind. She knew Merida would understand, but she just felt so silly for even thinking such things. The note is passed back to the ginger. _Yeah, I was just thinking about something._

Merida attempted to look Rapunzel straight in the eye by leaning forward, hoping to grasp her attention. But it was no use. She scribbles on the note and slides it back over to her friend. _I can help you if you need it._

Rapunzel bit her bottom lip. Should she even say anything? What if it was a stupid question? She went for it anyways. _Do you think I'm naïve?_ She turned around and waited for her best friend to respond.

Merida's eyebrows rose, not expecting the question. _Where did that come from?_

Not the answer she wanted, but Rapunzel went with it anyways. _I just...I feel like I'm out of touch with other people, like I've been living under a rock, or locked up in a tower somewhere. I kind of feel bad about something that I did during lunch yesterday, and I'm starting to wonder if I actually don't understand other people or if I just assume that they need my help when they want it, when they actually don't…maybe I'm just overthinking. _Well, she didn't expect to rant on paper, but she'll go with it.

Merida's response was short and simple…which is not what Rapunzel expected either. _What are you talking about? You're perfectly fine with other people._

She took in a deep breath and asked, _are you sure?_

Rapunzel saw Merida slump slightly in her seat, _Trust me, you're okay…You're better with people than I am._

The bell rang, and the students around them began to shuffle their belongings into their bags and making their way to the doors that lead out into the hallway. Merida stood and packed her bag, but Rapunzel stayed in her seat. The class was nearly empty; the teacher stepped out as well. Merida swung her bag onto her shoulder and waited for Rapunzel. She saw her friend continuing to sit still.

"Something else on your mind?" she asked.

Rapunzel looked up and her gaze was filled with perplexity. "Sometimes I think I don't understand people because I haven't been outside as much as everyone else. There are days when I wish I can just leave and…I don't know. I just want to start my life so badly."

Merida looked away, because she completely understands that feeling. The need to be in control of her life. To have freedom. "Yeah. Me too."

With nothing else to say, the ginger turned toward the door and made her way towards the exit. The pair used their twenty minute break by standing in front of their lockers, exchanging stories about cheerleading practice and art class. The blonde caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see Jack, slowly walking past.

"Hi Jack." She waved frantically. Merida turned around and rolled her eyes.

He gives them one of his classic smirks and replies, "Hello ladies."

The ginger crossed her arms and leaned against the lockers. "Save your charm for someone that cares."

"Merida!" Rapunzel scolded.

But Jack wasn't fazed by the comment. In fact, Merida noticed his smirk got wider. He approached the two of them, his confidence brimming. "I'll save it for later when we're forced to work together. It'll cancel out your sass."

"My sass is the only thing that stops me from choking you." Merida took a step toward him, standing her ground.

Jack lifted his hands in front of him and gave a mock shiver. "Ooh, I'm so scared." Merida noted the chuckle he gave at the end of his statement and started for him. If it wasn't for Rapunzel keeping an iron grip on her arm, she would've clocked him.

"You better be," she grunted. Rapunzel with all her might reeled the redhead in and pulled her back.

"That's enough!" she stared at Merida until she saw her calm down. She gave Jack another smile and a wave, "I'll see you later, Jack." Jack, beaming with arrogance, swaggered on down the hall. Rapunzel waited until he was out of earshot before reprimanding her best friend. "Why must you be so—"

But before the blonde could get another word out, Merida interrupted with her own opinion. "Just because you like him doesn't mean I have to. He's an ass and that's all there is to it." As if on cue, the bell rang. Merida opened her locker and grabbed her books for the next class.

"Merida, please," Rapunzel pleaded, "Just give him a chance. I get that his first impression wasn't the greatest, but it's not fair to use that against him. You hate it when people judge you by the way you look and act. Maybe he doesn't like it either."

Merida rolled her eyes, but she was right. People did judge her based on her outer appearances, and it bugged her greatly. She sighed, knowing what she must do. "…Fine. But I'm doing this for you."

* * *

The residual effects of what happened yesterday during lunch are somehow coming back to bite Hiccup in the ass, as he soon found out that day. He wasn't confronted by the Stabbington brothers, but he certainly got an earful of body language from them. One of them shouldered him into a locker and walked away that morning before first period; the other one gave him the menacing death stare like the one from before. He knew the storm was coming; he just didn't know when.

Hiccup laid low for the rest of the day. He sat outside during the morning break, and he didn't dare look at (let alone, walk pass) the table of football players during lunch as he walked to his seat with an empty tray. He wanted the day to be over with so he could go home and worry about other things.

He sat in his usual spot in is 5th period Literature class and dove into the lesson for the day. Thirty-five minutes into the lecture, Miss Porter gave out an assignment for the classroom's designated partners to work on. Hiccup realized that his partner was missing that day. _Looks like I'm doing this assignment on my own._

But, with no luck, he wasn't granted his solidarity. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see familiar green eyes and long, blonde hair. "Hey, do you mind if I work with you today? My partner's not here."

Not what he wanted to happen, but he has to get this assignment finished. So, without a second thought, he responded, "Sure, no problem."

He saw her return to her seat, grab her belongings, and make her way back over to him, sitting in the empty space to his right. There was a lull of silence that fell between them. He didn't really know what to say. _How do you speak to someone that saved your ass and you've never looked them in the eyes, let alone said one word to them? _He hoped that she started the conversation, because a cat stole his tongue and ran out of town with it.

He got his wish. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you yesterday. I didn't mean to offend you or anything." Her soft-spoken tone of voice was a complete opposite of what he heard at lunch the day prior. She seemed timid today, which confused Hiccup to no end.

"You didn't...why would you think that?" The confusion must have been written all over his face, because when the blonde looked up, she appeared very surprised.

"You seemed pretty upset. You looked like you were mad about something."

He sighed. _Great, Hiccup, not only did you piss off the Stabbington brothers, but you crushed the heart of your one and only hero. Way to go._ "I was mad at myself. Not you."

"Oh." The surprised face seemed to fade away. She turned back forward, as did Hiccup. There was another lull of silence, and Hiccup was wondering if they would finish their assignment at all at this rate.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for those guys picking on you," she continued, "They're the ones being jerks."

Hiccup scoffed, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"I'm serious. You shouldn't let them treat you like that." She turned back to him and looked him in the eye, "You're much better than they are. Any other person would've stooped down to their level and tried to kick their asses."

Hiccup quickly looked away when she said that. He wasn't any better than anyone. He knew that for a fact. "It's kind of hard to kick someone's ass if you don't have the muscle to do it," he joked, trying to lighten the mood again with his sarcasm. "And believe me, I don't."

"But you don't need muscle to take them down." She tried to gain eye contact with them. "You have courage. I think that's worth more than anything those boneheads are trying to make you do."

Hiccup instantly looked up at her. "You think I have courage?"

"Sure you do! Being true to yourself while others want you to be something different? That takes a lot of guts."

He suddenly felt something warm inside of him. Assurance? No, it was something different…but he sure felt much better about himself. "No one's ever said anything like that to me before. Thanks."

She offered her hand to him. "I'm Rapunzel."

He returned the favor and shook her hand. "Hiccup. Nice to meet you."

She giggled. It's the first smile he's seen on her face. "Nice to meet you, too, Hiccup. Good karma is heading your way."

And for the first time in a long time, Hiccup gave a genuine smile to someone. "I hope so." _Because anything worse than this would be dreadful._


	5. Dream

_(A/N: Hey there, everyone! Once again, thank you all for your many reviews and support! I appreciate them very much. Unfortunately, there's not any Jarida interaction at all in this chapter. I tried to fit it in, but I couldn't make it work with the storyline I have planned out for each character. But don't worry, it'll be back on track very soon. So, enjoy this heavy dose of character development, and I'll talk to you all next time. Enjoy this chapter!)_

The day was officially over for Jack as he gathered his gym bag and stuffed it in the locker room. Soccer practice was cut short, and he could not be any more relieved. If he had to practice in the heat for another minute, he probably would've keeled over. He did his usual after school routine: he entered from the back way of the school, through the cafeteria. He greeted Don the lunch man and grabbed a bottle of water along with a cup of ice before he made his way to his locker.

Jack felt good about today. He was getting used to his classes, he was having fun with his final year of soccer, and aside from dealing with the brick wall that was the ginger Scot princess, he was getting along with his peers quite well. The week was starting on a high note for him. It was days like this that made him love being in high school. He forgot about the drama and focused on the good things he had in his life.

He finally reached his locker and exchanged the contents he needed to take home with him, including his math book and the assigned reading for Literature. He grabbed his backpack and shoved the water bottle into a mesh side pocket. As he was making his way to the school exit, he heard muffled sounds and something pounding into metal. _So much for going home early. _He quietly rounded a corner and listened for the voices. A pleading voice rang through the air. _Hiccup._

Jack peeked down another hallway and, sure enough, he saw a pair of burly twins hovering over a cowering Hiccup. Jack couldn't see the faces of the Stabbington brothers, but he did see Hiccup scooting across the floor on his back. Jack knew he needed to do something, and quick. He looked down at the cup of ice and smirked to himself. He finally was going to teach these jerks a lesson. He snuck up behind them, saying on his toes. He saw from the corner of his eyes the widening of Hiccup's frightened expression, and he knew he only had a matter of seconds before he was caught. He quickly grabbed the back of one of the twins' muscle shirts and poured half of his cup of ice inside. As the burly giant squealed and squirmed, he poured the other half down the back of the other's shirt. The pair of bullies began jumping around and yipped like Chihuahuas.

"You probably shouldn't wear muscle shirts so often. Things could get lost in them." The two continued to bounce around and grab at their shirts. Jack helped Hiccup to his feet. "Run!" he whispered. He grabbed Hiccup by the elbow and ran as fast as fast he could down the hallway. The twins, although shaken up by the cubes of ice, noticed the pair running away and followed in suit.

"You'll pay for that, Frost!"

Jack turned down a second hallway and searched for a way out. Fully knowing his way around the school, he remembered a storage closet not too far from where he was. He made another immediate sharp turn and found the closet. Jack pushed Hiccup inside and silently closed the door. The only he heard next was complete silence. He listened at the other side of the door to make sure he lost the raging twins. Nothing. He took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. Suddenly, Jack noticed his sense of hearing became heightened. And he heard Hiccup wheezing loudly. Very loudly.

Jack's heart began to pace quicker. If he didn't find a way to keep their hiding place a secret, they were dead for sure. He didn't like what he was about to do, but it was the only way they would get away without the twins finding them. He covered Hiccup's mouth with his hand and placed a finger over his own mouth. Hiccup's eyes were wide (and Jack could hear the sputter in his breathing patterns), but he listened and tried to hold his breath for as long as he could.

They saw shadows passing by them under the door. He heard confused grunts and a muted 'he can't hide forever' from the other side of the door. Jack and Hiccup's heartbeats were virtually running marathons by now. The shadows soon enough left their vicinity and he heard silence once again. Jack removed his hand from Hiccup's mouth, and Hiccup immediately took some deep breaths to regain his oxygen levels.

"You okay, Hiccup?" He saw the panic written across Hiccup's face, and he immediately knew that was a stupid question to ask.

"Why would you risk your life like that?"

Jack let out a guffaw. "I didn't risk my life."

"They could've seriously hurt you." Hiccup began to pace back and forth, knowing the situation was much graver than Jack realized. "They could've caught us. They would've beaten us to a bloody pulp! I would've been known as the kid that got Jack Frost killed! Do you know what could've happened?! No, obviously you don't—you're too busy trying to play hero."

Jack saw the fast-paced steps that Hiccup was walking, and he felt something in the pit of his stomach churn. He needed Hiccup to stop pacing; the anxiety was going to rub off on him, and that was something that Jack did not want to happen. He stepped in front of him and placed both of his hands on Hiccup's shoulders, forcing him to a halt. "Well then, it was worth it. I'm not going to let them hurt you."

To say Hiccup was confused would be a huge understatement. He furrowed his eyebrows, "But…I'm nobody to you."

Jack was taken aback, "That's not true. Everyone's important to me."

"You don't know me." Hiccup brushed Jack's hands off of his shoulders and turned away from him, "We just met last week. Why would you do something like that?"

Jack was getting really tired of repeating himself. He helped someone out and he still felt…invisible. What was it going to take for someone to take him seriously? He let out a deep sigh, turned Hiccup around back toward him and gave him an intense stare. If direct eye contact doesn't get the point across, nothing will.

"I care, whether you want to believe me or not."

Earnest. That was all Hiccup saw in those piercing blue eyes. Still, Hiccup didn't know what to take away from the situation. On one hand, he could potentially ruin the social status of one of the most notorious athletes in his class. A letterman jacket-wearing sportsman hanging out with a science geek like him would definitely earn some punches for the both of them. On the other...it would be nice to have someone looking out for him for a change. Neither one of them helped Hiccup come to a conclusion on what he should do, but it did calm him down.

The snow-haired boy saw Hiccup relax and removed his hands from his shoulders. "Come on. Let's go grab your things from your locker. I'll buy you lunch."

Hiccup returned to his confused state and tilted his head slightly. "It's after 3."

"That still doesn't change the fact that you haven't eaten lunch."

He raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

Jack walked to the entrance and placed his hand on the door knob. "Some people would say that I'm very good at observing. Especially when people walk into a cafeteria carrying an empty lunch tray." He saw Hiccup's genuine look of shock out of the corner of his eye and chuckled. "You don't think I win every soccer game on a fluke, do you?"

"No," the brunet's voice got a tad higher in pitch, giving him away. He scratched the back of his head nervously, "I guess I just never thought that you…noticed anything outside of yourself."

Jack sighed, but he understood where Hiccup was coming from. People probably do get the wrong impression of him, considering how many pictures of himself he finds on the school bulletin board on a daily basis. He turned to look at the brunet. "I have a car. I'll buy you food and drive you home. Deal?"

"...Sure. Thanks." Slowly, Jack opened the door and peeked outside, making sure the hallways were clear. The door swung open, and Jack was down the hall. Hiccup stopped at the doorway and replayed everything that just happened in his head. He smirked to himself, "Guess this is my good karma."

* * *

The free period Rapunzel has is used for several things. She'll take the time to study for her pre-calc class; she'll use it to complete homework assignments; and, she'll sometimes take out her hidden art supplies and paint a new portrait (she and Merida loved art). But sometimes, when the halls are deserted, she will sneak over to the performing arts section of the school and see what new things they have planned for the next semester.

To say that Rapunzel loved the arts was an understatement. It was something that she'd enjoyed ever since she was a child. She used to love singing for her mother, and she took up guitar to play along with her when her dearly beloved parent was out of the house. She would take scenes from her favorite story books and bring them to life, dressing up as the parts and pretending to be her favorite heroes and princesses. Rapunzel knew that she was destined to be on stage; a shining ray of light, as her mother described her. But she knew it would never happen. Rapunzel's mother barely allowed her to be on the cheer squad (only after she auditioned without her permission and learned that they didn't perform in competitions). She would never let her be a part of the theatre department, no matter how much she loved it. But boy, could she dream.

Three weeks into the fall semester and Rapunzel was far on top of her studies. The chapter from her physics textbook wasn't anything new to her; she's been reading about the laws of science and events in history since she was a little girl, with all of the books her mother occupied her brain with. She didn't have anything to study for today, and she finished her homework already, so she took her opportunity to make her way over to the theatre bulletin board. She left the library and snuck away to the halls. She stood in front of the giant double doors and stared in awe. Standing outside of the auditorium gave her such a rush of excitement. She never felt this way about anything else. She stepped over to the bulletin board and saw the colorful announcements. Flyers for their fundraisers, pictures of their previous shows, and posters for their upcoming performances. She smiled to herself as she read over the cast list for their approaching production of Tartuffe. How she would've loved to have been a part of this show. If only there was a way to get the idea around her mother...

"So, you do have a free period."

She turned around to see a head full of white hair and blue eyes. "How did you know I was here?"

The boy scratched the back of his head. "I guess you can say I followed you." The crooked smile he gave to Rapunzel eased her mind and let him slide that answer under the rug. He sauntered up beside her and looked at the bulletin board with her. "Anybody you know on that list?"

She sighed, "No. I wish I did."

"Well, I'm sorry to say this, but I won't be trying out for any theatre shows this year." He saw that the joke sat very well with Rapunzel, with her wide smile.

Rapunzel stared at the cast list, dreaming about how hard these people must have worked to have their names printed on such an important piece of paper. "I really want to audition. If I had the chance, I would."

"Well, the spring semester auditions are going to be at the beginning of December." He pointed to a calendar sat on the far right side of the bulletin board. "You could audition for the musical...unless you don't sing."

"I love to sing! That's not the problem." Her gaze fell downward, "It's my mother. She doesn't want me to join."

Jack brought his eyebrows together in a state of confusion. "Why not?"

Rapunzel turned away from the board and leaned her back against the wall. "She thinks that theatre is too vicious and cruel for an innocent girl like me, and I would only set myself up for disappointment."

"You look like you can handle it." He followed her lead and leaned against the board of cork. "I mean, you stood up to me that first day of school because your friend was in trouble. That sounds like a girl that can take care of herself."

"Even if I can, there's no way to reason with her." She looked over at Jack, "I've tried."

"There's always a way to make your dreams come true." He told her with the most sincere voice he could muster up.

She gave a half-smile and looked back down at the floor. "I'm not sure if I have any more dreams."

Jack crossed his arms in front of him, "Then you should probably do your best to make this one come true."

She looked back at the board and thought about it. He was right, in a way. There had to be a way to convince her mother to let her audition.

They stood there in a brief, comfortable silence. Rapunzel suddenly had an idea. She gathered up her courage and tried to act as calm as possible. "So…Black is giving us a quiz next Monday." She side-eyed him, "Do you want to study together?"

He tilted his head and gave her the sauciest look he could come up with. "Only if I'm allowed to keep following you for the rest of fourth period."

Rapunzel raised a brow with mild amusement, "Is that a bribe?"

"Well, I am good at critical thinking." He raised himself from his position on the wall and stepped towards her. " So, I'm simply asking as a friend. Can I hang out with you for the rest of our free period?"

He wanted to be her friend? _The _Jack Frost? Who would turn down that offer? "I would love to hang out with you." He grinned and held his arm out for her. She looped her arm around it, and the two walked down the hall. She didn't know how her day could get any better, but if it did, she'd gladly welcome it.


End file.
